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Two health trusts make applications for boilers under Renewable Heat Incentive scheme

The Belfast Health Trust has received payment under the RHI scheme for a biomass boiler to heat a swimming pool at Muckamore Abbey Hospital
The Belfast Health Trust has received payment under the RHI scheme for a biomass boiler to heat a swimming pool at Muckamore Abbey Hospital

TWO health trusts applied to claim for biomass boilers installed under the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme.

The Department of Health said that the Belfast and Western Health Trusts had both applied to the RHI scheme, with the Belfast Trust having received payment to date.

The Belfast Trust has been paid for a boiler to heat a swimming pool, used by people with a learning disability, at Muckamore Abbey Hospital.

The Trust has also made a claim and is awaiting payment under the scheme for a biomass boiler installed to heat the College Park Children's Home near Queen's University in south Belfast.

In Derry, the Western Trust is awaiting accreditation to claim under the RHI scheme for a boiler used to heat Grangewood Mental Health unit, site of the former Gransha Hospital.

The department said that no other health trusts or arms length bodies, including the Fire and Ambulance Services, had applied under the scheme.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and Western Health and Social Care Trust applied to the RHI scheme. Two installations have been accepted and accredited for BHSCT."

"Biomass boilers have been installed within the HSC estate since 2007 as part of boiler house upgrades and new capital build projects."

The spokesman added: "The installations were carried out to minimise the environmental impact of the HSC estate through a reduction in carbon emissions and to improve the sustainability and environmental credentials of capital projects. The heat generated is being used to heat HSC facilities."

What Arlene Foster said about RHI in October, 2016:

The Irish News revealed earlier this week that three campuses under the control of Stormont's agriculture department are also claiming from the RHI scheme.

Cafre's Loughry campus in Co Tyrone has four biomass boilers, while corresponding sites in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, and Greenmount, Co Antrim, have one each.

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has applied to the scheme for its new sports facility at Allen Park in Antrim town, but has not yet made any claims.